#NGAQB – March

Y’all know if I go quiet, I’ve got something stewin’ in the background, right? Good, I thought so. Today, I am thrilled to bring you the latest showcase of the #NGAQB (No Girls Allowed Quilt Bee). I barely got this one done on time, and I swear I originally sewed the first one upside down, inside out, and every which way to wrong! Andrew had such a special request for his block design, read on for more!

“I’m Andrew Youngman, or Mr. March. I am originally from upstate New York, and went to art school concentrating in photography. I now work in healthcare, specifically as an aide in Intensive Care and Cardiac Services. I don’t know how I got from that to this either; I’m still confused!  

Quilting was introduced to me by my mother a couple of years ago when I asked her to teach me, knowing she wanted to get back into it. I made one small table runner and one lap quilt then put my machine away, only to pick it up again six months or so ago. Thanks to Instagram, I started noticing more and more male crafters and quilters. I started to follow them and then began a conversation about an all-male quilt bee. And, well, here we are!

I asked for the color inspiration to come from a photograph I took on my last trip with my husband to Key West (#marriageequality). We’ve been there twice in the last year, and we love it. Asking for the guy’s help to commemorate this new favorite place of ours seemed appropriate. I chose the Inverted Star block (pattern available for free on Craftsy.com) because I hadn’t yet worked with half-square triangles and the design seemed to echo that of the photograph.

The blocks that I’ve already received or seen online are stunning. I’m glad to be a growing amateur in such an elite group of fun and talented craftsman! Follow me on Instagram at: TESTOSTERSEWN.”